Содержание выпуска: July 2024 — Fast Bikes

WELCOME It only seems a few days ago that the weather consisted of different shades of wet and the temperature was shy of breaching double figures, but in the toss of a coin, spring has sprung and the roads around me are littered with bikers going about their business. For me, this is a real high point in the year, seeing people getting stuck in with their mates, riding for the sake of riding in a bid to escape the likes of gardening, housework or, even worse, the in-laws popping over. I daresay that for most of you reading this, motorcycling is a way of life, and it brings access to a world that shuts tighter than Johnny's wallet at a bar when winter hits, which is why it's so…

Just like the weather, relationships, and the state of your healthy-looking bank statement, nothing stays the same… and that's especially true of the bike market. In fact, the one thing we've seen above anything else in recent years are more twists than an Agatha Christie novel when it comes to capacities, styles, and what we've known as convention regarding motorcycling norms. Manufacturers have been rubbing hard on their mystic balls, hoping to hit the jackpot with an abundance of unexpected offerings, slowly but surely moving the goalposts in the process and making us think a little harder before gathering an obvious gaggle of bikes together to form a solid shootout. Perhaps the naked market is the most diverse of them all, rammed to the rafters with everything from 125s to…

Sub-litre NAKEDS IN ASSOCIATION WITH BRIDGESTONE There are some bikes that make you know wherever you go, whatever the speed, they'll go the distance and plant a big, fat smile on your face… and Triumph's 765 RS is one of them. In fact, it's hard to think of many other bikes so popular or versatile as this triplecylinder protagonist, which has been a firm favourite in this sector since its inception in 2017. It might not be perfect, or the prettiest or most exotic, but the way it rides, the sound it makes, and the ease with which it can switch from being an angel to a headbanger is the stuff of legend. Of course, if you've ever ridden one, you'll know exactly what I'm on about, but if the Street…

Sub-litre NAKEDS IN ASSOCIATION WITH BRIDGESTONE When Johnny came back from the launch on this thing, he wouldn't shut up about it. The most telling thing was how he was giddier about his time on the 990 Duke than he was about his simultaneous test of the new 1390 Super Duke. Of course, his take on a bike is sometimes different to mine, so I held back from placing an order there and then, but I was intrigued to see whether his hype matched what I found when I finally got chance to swing a leg over this box-fresh beast. Well, to cut to it, Johnny was bang-on with his appraisal… after just a few miles pulling the pin on this thing, the KTM's playful persona and impressive raft of abilities…

The truth is, we tried damn hard to get one in this shootout, scraping every barrel and begging at every door, but it just wasn't possible. Being so new to the market, Yamaha UK didn't have units available in time for the test, and nor were there any dealers on hand to help us out. It is a real shame as we know that it would have been right up in the mix, but that's sometimes how these things go. That said, if you're a regular reader, you'll have maybe seen our positive launch review of the bike a few issues back. But for those that didn't, here's a bit of a synopsis on its core criteria… Tech The main focus of the ‘24-spec MT is the tech. From the…

There are some things in life that you don't know you need until they're parked a few feet away from you, in an exotic racetrack's pitlane, glistening under Portuguese sunshine. Standing there, waiting my turn to pop some wheelies, I couldn't help but ogle at this unexpected retro reprobate, taking in its many fancy facets and features that blend the best of now with what Yamaha's dubbed its golden era of GP racing. Think FZR, TZR, FZ, TRX and, of course, a very unsubtle dollop of YZR500 and you'll be bang on the money for the keystones to this machine's make-up. From 20 metres away, with a squint in your eye and a pint in your hand, you'd be forgiven for thinking that this was a pukka early 1990s machine…

Austrian firm KTM has been out of the road-going sportsbike sector for nearly a decade, having dropped its quirky yet acclaimed RC8R 1195 V-twin in 2016. And though it's played its part in MotoGP during those years, while building some very nutty naked roadbikes like the Super Duke 1290 and Duke 890, the Matighofen outfit seemed to set its face against the very notion of superbikes on the road. There was no place for 200bhp-plus faired sports weapons outside pure competition, so seemed the company line, much to the sadness of all. A crack is appearing in that high Alpine dam, though – in the form of a new supersport bike, the KTM 990 RC R. It's been hinted at over the past couple of years with the release of…

Sub-litre NAKEDS IN ASSOCIATION WITH BRIDGESTONE 4th This particular version of the MV Agusta Brutale – the third generation – has been around since 2012, which means it is by far the oldest bike in the test, but that doesn't mean it's not got something to bring to the party, and far from it. 187kg fully fuelled and 140bhp are the sort of numbers which should make some of the newer opposition blush, and so it means that it absolutely belongs in this company. MV Agusta's history of lurching from one financial crisis to another means regular model updates are generally few and far between. Instead, MV regularly releases so-called limited-edition models as a sleight of hand to distract from the fact that the bike has the same architecture. Cue an…

Sub-litre NAKEDS IN ASSOCIATION WITH BRIDGESTONE Not all bikes are born equal and the same goes for tyres, which is why we knew if we were to make this shootout a fair and credible outing, we needed a control tyre in place. And not just any control tyre, but one which could hack the rigours of road and track riding, offering fast warm-up times, high grip levels, and the ability to cope with the inevitable downpours that signify the start of British Summer Time. Luckily, Bridgestone had the exact kind of hoop we were hoping for – in the shape of its newly-released S23. Think Swiss Army knife and you'll have a good grasp of this hypersport tyre's broad level of attributes. Having replaced the multi-talented S22 released in 2019, this…

If you're into your BSB or a spot of road racing, the sight of Honda's new Fireblade in the capable hands of Irwin, Bridewell, Harrison and McGuinness will have been sure to have caught your attention. We tested the heavily updated model a few months back and thought it was really quite tasty in stock form, but here's a more thorough overview of what's gone into making the race bikes even more exceptional… The CBR1000RR road bike had quite a makeover for 2024, and the race bike's had a slew of mods too. For this year, the frame has the same geometry as last year, but with altered rigidity for better steering accuracy and improved turning. On the engine front, there's a new crank and camshafts, which increases acceleration, and…

TT RACER: LIFE OF A PRIVATEER When Bruce called and asked if I'd tell my TT story, I wasn't that keen. I'm a nobody who's been incredibly lucky to be good enough to do some amazing things on motorbikes, while achieving very average results. My TT story is very similar, so what I can offer is a peep through the keyhole into the lives of privateers taking on the monumental task that is getting to the Isle of Man TT, and to tell a few stories along the way. I will try to keep this as short as I can, but obviously there's a bit to tell, so go make yourself a brew, sit back, and hopefully you'll enjoy this one. I've heard many people rubbish TT riders with throwaway…

As the old adage goes, if it ain't broke, don't fix it – and in an era of blinged-up, tech-overloaded machines, it's all too easy to join the herd and follow the pack. Less is more sometimes, and it's quite refreshing to jump on a bike and not have to think about which rider mode to go in, whether to use traction control, or if you've got the back mud pedal valve turbo ejector turned on. Yamaha's Tenere 700 is the antithesis of this: a really simple, rider-friendly adventure machine that's more than comfortable in its natural, simplistic and under-complicated shell. Since Yamaha's introduction of the Tenere 700 back in 2019, it's been a sweet story of success. With more than 60,000 sales in Europe (4000-plus of those in the…

Sub-litre NAKEDS IN ASSOCIATION WITH BRIDGESTONE Boasting a hefty amount of power, with a respectable weight and a wheelbase so short you can imagine how agile this thing is just by eyeballing it, there's a lot to like about the MV. And then there's the look of it, which is as exotic as its price tag, hammering home the point that this triple-cylinder beauty is not your everyday naked… it really is something quite special. Of course, there are always two sides to every story, and while it could be argued that how a bike rides is less important than how it looks or sounds, I beg to differ. Yes, there is a lot to lure you to this machine, not least of all the irresistible soundtrack that screams its way…

Sub-litre NAKEDS IN ASSOCIATION WITH BRIDGESTONE 3rd It never ceases to amaze me that these days we consider the V2 Streetfighter as a ‘middleweight’ naked bike. Ducati quote just over 150bhp and 75(ish) lb-ft of torque for it, which are big numbers. Indeed, they are the same sort of number that graced the original superbikebased Streetfighter 1098 back in 2009. It could be argued that with those sorts of numbers, the Streetfighter V2 doesn't really belong in this test, but it certainly doesn't belong in a supernaked test any more than any of the other bikes here do, or likewise in a nakeds test alongside the likes of a Kawasaki Z650, Yamaha MT07, Triumph Trident 660 or Ducati's own Monster. So here it is, with all its big numbers, big spec…

Sub-litre NAKEDS IN ASSOCIATION WITH BRIDGESTONE 2nd The Triumph has been the gold standard in this class for so long now that ‘Street Triple’ have become bywords for brilliance. Seventeen years ago, Triumph rolled out the Street Triple 675, which was pretty much a Daytona 675 without the fairing, some daft headlights, and trick underseat exhausts – changing the firm's fortune and the sector at a stroke. It was an instant hit and has remained so ever since, a fact backed up by the absence of a Daytona 765, and the continuing sales by the container-load of the Street Triple. It has far, far outlived the bike that was its donor in the beginning. By the time Triumph gave us its latest version of the Street Triple last year, 130,000 had…

Sub-litre NAKEDS IN ASSOCIATION WITH BRIDGESTONE 1st The KTM is the only all-new bike in this year's test, and KTM wasn't messing about when it started work on the 990 four years ago. All-new engine, all-new chassis, all-new suspension, all-new electronics… in fact, the number for every part is new too, except for the front brake callipers, which are from the 790/890 Duke, and the front wheel, which is the same as the 1390 Super Dukes. KTM has obviously and correctly identified this middleweight naked class as one of great interest due to the growth in not only naked bikes, but also the sensiblypriced ones, and it has also possibly acknowledged that its previous offering – the motard/naked hybrid 890 Duke – was probably a bit too quirky for some so…

It's always a bit of a guessing game when we put together a test like this, trying to anticipate which will come out on top. The truth is, in isolation these are all great bikes and more than deliver on the promise of a good time behind their ‘bars. Pick any of them and you'll be able to fill a sheet of paper with a long list of attributes, but the truth is that some machines tick those boxes better than their rivals, and in a shootout scenario, those strengths and weakness shine through like a big, juicy spot on the end of a nose. They are impossible to ignore, and that makes our lives much easier when it comes to discerning the best from the rest. By now, you…

When it came to the supersport war, which exploded from a skirmish into full-on Armageddon in the 2000s, Suzuki was always a bit behind the game. Oddly, considering itss GSX-R1000 was dominating the litre bike class, Suzuki seemingly took its eye off the middleweight segment, and where rival Japanese firms were going all-in with features such as ride-by-wire, ABS and sky-high rev limits, Suzuki remained firmly analogue. Which, in the end, proved its undoing… Well behind the game both in terms of tech and kerb appeal, the GSX-R600 was the ‘nearly bike’ of the supersport class. Never quite able to keep up on track, the Suzuki generally shone when it came to road riding–but the comfiest bike to ride home from the track on fails to capture many headlines! Also,…

FastBikesMag.com/FastBikes-Forum Facebook.comFastBikesMagazine @FastBikesMag WINNER WANT TO WIN? To be in with a chance of winning a No Limits trackday, either send us a pic on our Facebook page or email one to letters@fastbikes.co.uk Closing date: June 27 Here at Fast Bikes magazine, we love trackdays. So much so, we wanted to give something back to you, the reader! We've teamed up with the lovely lot over at No Limits Trackdays to offer a free trackday every month! All you have to do is send us a picture of yourself at your last trackday for a chance to win. If you're the lucky person highlighted on these pages, you've won a trackday of your choice! If it's you, get in touch with us and we'll look after the rest, and if…

OLD VERSUS NEW… Hi there, I own a Triumph Daytona 995i. It's a great bike (2002 centennial in green) and I've enjoyed owning it for the past 12 years. It's also the most modern sportsbike I've ever ridden, although my daily run-around is a modern Tiger 1200. I also own a 1979 Suzuki GS1000, which I love, but the difference in performance, weight and handling between that and the Triumph is substantial. That led me on to wondering just how stark the difference is between my Triumph and a contemporary litre sportsbike. I can appreciate the power is hugely different, horsepower roughly 33% down on a modern bike, but does that mean the Triumph is a league behind the bikes of today? Cheers, John C Hi John, it's great to…